Air moistener and evaporator.



0. R. RICE.

AIR MOISTENBB. AND EVAPURATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 190a.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR OscarR. Rica WIT/11E SSE S XIV ATTORNEY 0. R. RICE.

AIR morsmmn AND EVAPOBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY T, 1965 902,835, Patented Nov. 3, 1908. 2 BHEETS SHEET 2.

INVENTOR,

Ilm

ATTORNEY OSCAR It. RICE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIR MOISTENER AND EVAPORATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Application filed May '7, 1908. Serial No. 481,871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, OsoAn It. RICE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Moisteners and Evaporators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to atmospheric moisteners and chargers and its object is to produce an abnormal humidity in rooms or apartments containing articles or materials for whose preservationa high humidity is necessary, or to charge the atmosphere of a compartment with disinfectant va ors to effect cures in certain diseases. Tie results may be accomplished by the im roved device .OVGIBd by this invention whicli provides for the passage of a certain amount of Water or solution of certain well known disinfectants or germicides over a heated rece )tacle so that the evaporation of the liquid fo llows and the humidity increased or the air becomes saturated with the disinfecting solution as will be more fully described in the following speeification set forth in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a detail of the valve gage. Fig. 4 is a detail of the damper thermostat.

In the storing and sale of tobacco and its products and the rearing and preservation of flowers, and for many other uses the increase of the humidity of the atmosphere is often very desirable and to effect this increase of moisture various means have been adopted to provide a natural evaporation, but the increase of the humidity in a store or. sales room is often desirable and it is to effect this increase that the present invention is designed.

The device consists of an upright cylinder 5 of sheet metal, open at its lower end and having a conical upper end 6 surmounted by a cap 7 of sloping sides and with vertical ribs 8. The cylinder is covered with a layer 9 of fibrous material such as felt or asbestos, held in place by bands 10 and at the lower end of the cylinder is a trou h 11 to catch the surplus water from the cy inder.

The cylinder 5 is supported on a base 12 and mounted on rods 13 above the base is a water tank 14 which receives its sup ly from a pipe 15 with a ball valve 16 contro mg sai to fill the out supply and the outlet 17 is closed by a plug 18 carried at the end of a lever 19 and at whose other end is a slotted link .50 with a pointer 21 and which is locked in its desired position by the nut 22 of the stationary bolt 23 so that'the location of the plug maybe determined and made permanent to regulate the flow of water from the outlet so that the desired amount may be delivered to the corn ical top of the cylinder.

The ribs 8 on the cap prevent the close fitting of the outlet tube 24 upon the cap which would prevent the passage of the water downward but as it flows down over the conical end 6 it is finally arrested by the end of the fibrous material 9 which projects beyond the base of the cone and is evenly distributed around the circumference of the upper end of the layer 9 and gradually descends and saturates the same, the surplus filling the trough 11. As the plug 18 is carefully constructed et and the gage 2-5 may be used in connection with the pointer 21 to regulate the supply of liquid there is no danger of the surplus overflowin the trough 11.

In order to faclitate the evaporation of the liquid in the layer 9 a lam .26 or other heating means is placed within a metallic box 27 in the base 12 and the heat from same rises within the cylinder and causes more'or less evaporation according to the amount of heat admitted. The box 27 has a perforated door 28 and the base 12 is also provided with a screened door 29 so that a supply of air is always admitted.

To automatically regulate the heat from the lamp and provide a greater or less amount of evaporation and moisture for the atmosphere, a damper 30 is located in the lower end of the cylinder and its shaft is provided on the outside with a crank arm 31. To this crank arm is attached the free end 3'2 of a thermostat 33 which may be adjusteil along the base 12 to open or close the damper for any preferred degree of heat,

It may be necessary at times to provide means for circulating the moist air thrown off from this device or to carry it to some remote corner of a room or apartment and this is done by a fan 34 which may be located on one of the'shelves 35 and run by any desired means. This fan may be faced to throw the air in the desired direction.

The shelves 35 may be set up on brackets 36 carried by the rods 13 and be used to store tobacco, plants or other articles to be moistened and conceal the cylinder or ornament same.

For the purpose of disinfecting or charging 5 the an wlth certain remedies or chemicals.

the solution, may be placed in the tank 14 and allowed to drip down upon the head 6 and percolate through the fabric until evapo rated.

As explained above this device may not only be used as an atmospheric moistener but may be made useful as a display rack for certain articles under treatment or to be subjected to the moisture.

It is obvious that I do not confine myself to the exact details illustrated and described as modified means may be used in place of certain parts referred to, but these modifications need not be a departure from the essential elements of these parts.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with a tube closed at one end and adapted to be moistened, of heatingmeans in the open end of the tube.

2. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with a tube covered with an absorbent material and closed at one end, of heating means in the open end of the tube.

3. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with a tube closed at one end, of an absorbent material covering the tube, means for supplying liquid to the absorbent material and means for heating the interior of the tube.

l l l l t l l damper, 4. In an air moistener and evaporator, the I combination with a-tube adapted to absorb a liquid on its exterior, of heating means for the interior of the tube, and adjustable means for supplying the liquid to the tube.

5. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with a hollow structure adapted to absorb liquid on its exterior, of adjustable means for supplying liquid, means for heateo2,s: 5

to absorb liquid on its exterior, of heating means for the interior ol the striu'ture, means i for regulating the heating means, means for supplying liquid to the hollow structure, means for regulating the liquid supply and means for forcing the air away from the device. 7. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with an upright tube closed at the upper end, of an absorbing material coveringsame. means above the tube for supplying liquid to the absorbing; material, a heater at the lower end of the tube, and means for regulating the supply of heat to the tube.

8. In an air moistener and eva'Jorator, the combination with an upright tube closed at the top, of a liquid supply tank above the tube, means for regulating the supply, an absorbent covering on the tube, means for diffusing the liquid over the absorbent material, a heater at the lower end of the tube, means for regulating the heat, and means for directing the air about the device to any quarter.

9. In an air moistener and evaporator, the combination with a base, of a liquid tank supported above the same, a tube with a closed conical end, an adjustable valve releasing liquid to the conical end, an absorbent covering on the tube and extending above the edge of same, a heater at the lower end of the tube, a and a thermostat controlling the damper.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this eighteenth day of April A. D. 1908.

oscAR' R. RICE.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES F. DUHAMEL, F. W. WIMAN. 

